


All Of These Dark Corners

by Wolfchesters



Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, First Kiss, Heart-to-Heart, Kissing, M/M, Sad Daryl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-08-31 21:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8594101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfchesters/pseuds/Wolfchesters
Summary: Daryl is cold. Rick has alcohol. Sweet things happen.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this was going to be a one shot but i now see potential in this start.  
> This was something i pumped out while waiting for episode 4 to come out so i could continue my "choices" story but now i guess i have two ongoing fics plus the millions of starters that are piling up on my hard drive.

Daryl hated the dark. No, he wasn’t scared of the dark, he just didn’t like it. Darkness meant uncertainty and uncertainty meant danger. Daryl hated the dark, and more than that, he hated being faced with darkness alone.

* * *

 

Daryl was perched up on the northern watch tower with his legs hanging over the edge and poncho wrapped around his shoulders. The nights were always darker than they used to be but this night in particular was even more so. The moon, which was only a sliver in the sky, was hidden behind dark clouds which left Daryl with practically zero visibility. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered keeping watch on nights like this because even if something was to creep into through the fences, he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway.

It was bone-numbingly cold and if his eyes weren’t deceiving him, Daryl swore he could see flecks of snow falling and hitting the toes of his shoes. He was seriously considering just giving up and turning in for the night. He was just about to stand up when he heard the door to the watch tower open behind him. He craned his neck and saw a familiar silhouette making its way around to where he was sitting. It wasn’t until the figure spoke that Daryl was able to confirm who it was.

“I brought you a present.” Rick said, lowering himself down carefully to let his legs hang over the concrete lip alongside Daryl’s.

“It better be a set of long johns cos it’s cold as balls up here.”

“Nope, better.” And Rick pressed something cold and smooth into Daryl’s hand. He unscrewed the cap of the glass bottle and pressed it to his lips. Rick was right, this was better.

“Damn,” Daryl hissed through his teeth and handed the bottle of whiskey back to Rick, “where’d you find that?”

“Got lucky on a run.” Rick replied, setting the bottle down on the concrete between them.

The two fell into an easy silence, both looking out into the pitch black night. Daryl shivered and pulled his poncho tighter around his shoulders. He found himself wanting to lean into Rick’s warm body but he shook the thought from his mind. Rick must have felt or sensed the movement because he turned towards Daryl and he could see the whites of the other man’s eyes in the darkness.

“You okay?” Rick asked, concern obvious in his tone.

“Yeah, just cold.”

Rick stood up and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. He then extended his hand to Daryl who, in the darkness, could only tell what Rick was doing when the other man clicked his fingers at him.

Daryl lifted his legs and reached out blindly behind him, taking Rick’s hand and letting the former sheriff pull him to his feet. Rick’s hand was burning hot compared to Daryl’s and he didn’t want to let it go, but as soon as he was balanced, Daryl let his hand fall. He couldn’t see Rick’s face, but something in the air had definitely shifted at the loss of contact. Or at least Daryl thought it did. Maybe he was just imagining it.

Rick walked back around to the door that led inside and Daryl followed the other man’s heavy footsteps. Inside, there was an old desk and a ratty two seater couch courtesy of the officers that ran the prison when it was operational. There were also multiple file cabinets and on top of one sat a stub of a candle that Rick had managed to light with a match he pulled from a pack he had inn his pocket.

By the dim light of the candle, Daryl saw as Rick made his way over to the lumpy sofa and plopped himself down.

“No use keeping watch when there’s nothing to see.” Rick said as he took another sip of whiskey, wincing as he swallowed the golden liquid. “Plus, it’s warmer in here,” he added.

“Then can’t we go to bed?” Daryl asked, still standing in the doorway.

“Do you want to?” When Daryl didn’t answer, Rick jerked his head, motioning for Daryl to sit down. “I almost died getting this damn whiskey, you are not going to make me drink it alone.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Daryl said as he crossed the softly lit room and sat down next to Rick, grabbing the bottle from his hands. Daryl could see Rick smirk out of the corner of his eye and a warmth spread through him that had nothing to do with the aged alcohol that had just passed his lips.

They sat together silently for almost half an hour: passing the bottle between each other and pretending not to notice the fire that sparked when their fingers brushed. It wasn’t long before Daryl felt the effects of the alcohol; his limbs started to feel heavier and his head felt lighter. He found himself edging closer to Rick every time the bottle of rapidly depleting liquid exchanged hands.

Daryl used to be able to hold his liquor like a champ but he wasn’t surprised at how quickly the whiskey had started to kick his ass. It had, after all, been over a year since his last taste and his tolerance was bound to have taken a hit. Rick appeared to be no different: the curly haired man seemed to have lost control of all the muscles in his neck because his head was lolling onto Daryl’s shoulder every now and then; either that or Rick just didn’t care enough to keep his head upright. But it was no matter, Daryl didn’t mind the weight.

Daryl didn’t know how long it had been since either of them had said anything, but Rick was the first one to break the silence. “Daryl?” he said.

Daryl hummed in response.

“I think it might be Christmas.”

Daryl scoffed, “what makes you say that?”

“I found a calendar in one of the admin offices and I counted from the day that I got shot and went to hospital. It’s only an estimate but I’m guessing it’s pretty close to it, anyway.” There was something in his voice that made Daryl glance over at him, and when he did, he found Rick looking right back.

“Why are you telling me this?” Daryl asked, an edge of concern in his voice.

“I dunno,” Rick sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “I always loved the holidays. I mean, there was more crime and I worked longer hours at the station, but those nights when I got home late and pulled into the driveway and could see the Christmas tree through the window, it always made me happy. Like all the shit I saw during the day didn’t matter, because at the end of it there was this one beautiful thing that I could count on to be there.”

For the first time in his life Daryl felt homesick for a home that wasn’t even his. He was missing a place that he had never even set eyes on before and it was the most confusing and frustrating thing he had ever experienced.

“I never had a Christmas tree.” There was a small hitch in Daryl’s chest when he spoke and it didn’t go unnoticed by Rick. He didn’t want to press and make Daryl uncomfortable; Rick learnt a long time ago that the noble thing to do when someone is upset is to comfort them, but when someone is trying to hide their troubles, the nobler thing to do is to pretend that you didn’t see. “It never bothered me before,” Daryl continued, “but hearing the way you talk about it, it sounds pretty nice. I never thought much about the future or what I could make of myself, but what you had, and what you have now, it doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe if things were different, I could have settled down with someone nice and had a couple of rug rats but… I don’t know. It’s too late now I guess.”

The way Daryl spoke broke Rick’s heart and it wasn’t lost on him that Daryl had said _someone_ instead of  _some girl_. “Hey.” Rick reached out a hand and let it rest on Daryl’s shoulder, he was relieved when it wasn’t shrugged off. “It’s not too late, Daryl. You have a family and it’s right here. You have Carl and Glenn and Carol and Beth, you have all of those people out there. And you have me. I’m here, Daryl.”

At those last words Daryl lifted his head to look at Rick. There were tears in his eyes and he swiped at them hastily before they fell. “Rick,” was all he said and it came out in a hoarse, gravelly whisper that sent goose bumps up Rick’s arms.

Rick moved his hand from Daryl’s shoulder up to the side of his neck. Daryl’s gaze was intense but Rick didn’t dare look away. There was something about the flickering light from the candle that made Daryl’s eyes look like they were completely black. The air between the two men was thick with intent and warm breath that smelled heavily of sweet alcohol. It was unclear who closed the distance for Daryl leant forward at the same time that Rick pulled on his neck.

Their foreheads met before their lips and it was a few hesitant seconds of pushing and pulling away, second guessing and doubts, before Daryl bit the bullet and pressed his lips firmly against Rick’s. It was a tentative kiss, both men trying to test the boundaries and not make the other uncomfortable but it soon became clear that both of them wanted more than what the other was giving and this time it was definitely Daryl who made the move. He pushed forward, making Rick fall back heavily against the arm of the couch with a grunt, and braced one hand against the wall behind Rick’s head.

Daryl pressed his lips against Rick’ roughly and positioned his hips over the other man’s. With one foot on the cold floor and the other leg pinned between Rick and the back of the couch, Daryl ground his hips down, but instead of the moan he hoped to elicit from the man beneath him, all Daryl got in response was a firm hand against his chest pushing him back. He didn’t protest, he let himself be moved and sat back on his knees to let Rick extract himself out from under him.

“M’sorry” was all Rick said before crossing to the center of the room, heaving open the trap door and disappearing down the ladder.

As soon as the door slammed shut after Rick, Daryl was plunged into darkness as the flickering candle stub finally gave up and snuffed itself out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie is a good bro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont know if you could tell from the first chapter but this story was kinda inspired by my unhealthy obsession with all things christmas.

Daryl sat alone on the sofa listening to Rick descend down the tower and he sat there for a long time after that, wondering what on earth he did wrong. Rejection is a feeling that Daryl had experienced his whole life; he was extremely familiar with it, but it never left him feeling quite like this. It never left him with a hole in his chest the size of the Grand Canyon.

Daryl huffed and stood up. He followed Rick’s path to the trap door, kicking the nearly empty bottle of whiskey and sending it across the room as he went.

It was still freezing by the time Daryl opened the door at the base of the tower but dawn was breaking far over in the east, giving the horizon the smallest tinge of orange. As Daryl trudged along the grass towards the main cellblock he heard the unmistakable crunch of snow beneath his shoes.

When he reached the heavy metal door to the cell block, Daryl pulled it open as quietly as he could and slunk into his bunk, keeping his face set and forward as he passed Ricks cell. He collapsed onto his thin mattress and closed his eyes, not bothering to kick off his shoes or cover himself with a blanket. Perhaps the combination of wet feet and cold weather would give him hypothermia and he wouldn’t have to face Rick in the morning.

* * *

 

Daryl woke a few hours later and the sun was streaming in through the high barred windows and shining directly into his eyes. The hunter groaned and rolled over, throwing an arm over his face for good measure. He closed his eyes again, hoping to fall back asleep but a loud yell out in the common area caught his attention and he sat up quickly, clipping the top of his head hard on the underside of the top bunk.

Daryl emerged from his cell and walked out into the common area, still rubbing his head and wearing an incredibly sour look on his face. The source of the commotion was coming from Glenn who was trying to stop Maggie from going out on a run. She was adamant about going on her own and was screeching about how she didn’t need Glenn to protect her all the time. Obviously the couple was going through some sort of rough patch and it wasn’t any of Daryl’s business but the yelling was making the pain in his head even worse.

“I’ll take her.” Daryl said, trying his best to deescalate the situation. His voice made the two of them both stop mid-sentence and look at him. Glenn looked murderous but Maggie on the other hand looked triumphant. She threw Glenn a smug smile and disappeared back into the cell block.

“What the hell, man.” Glenn said angrily, advancing on Daryl.

Daryl didn’t move away, just held out a hand, said “she’ll be fine, I’ll make sure of it” and went to gather his things. When he turned around to return to his bunk, Daryl saw Rick sitting in the corner of the common area with baby Judith on his knee and it made him wonder why Rick hadn’t interfered with Maggie and Glenn himself. He was looking at Daryl with an expression that he couldn’t quite decipher, and to be totally honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Daryl huffed out a frustrated breath and walked back into the cell block. He gathered his things and went to find Maggie. When Daryl walked into her cell, she was stuffing a jacket and a spare pair of socks into a backpack. He sat on the end of her bunk and watched her fuss around the small space. He felt like a child watching his mother get ready for work.

“Maggie?”

“Yeah?”

Daryl didn’t know exactly what he was going to say but Maggie and Glenn were the only couple in this fucked up world that seem to be making it work and Maggie was the most trustworthy person he knew so if he was going to talk to anyone, it would be her.

“Uh, I need some advice.” Something in Daryl’s tone seemed to peak Maggie’s interest because she stilled In the middle of tucking a spare clip into her back pocket. It made Daryl’s stomach do somersaults.

Maggie sat down slowly next to Daryl. “What’s up?” she said. There was something odd in her voice, something that told Daryl that she was trying her best not to scare him off.

Daryl was struggling with finding the right words. If he told Maggie exactly what happened she might think that he was some sort of pervert taking advantage of Rick while he was drunk.

Wait. Was Rick even drunk? Daryl had drank pretty much the same amount of whiskey that Rick had and he felt fine. If Rick wasn’t drunk then that meant that he made a conscious decision to kiss Daryl and another conscious decision to push him away. That made the whole situation even more confusing.

“I kissed Rick.” Daryl blurted out. Daryl expected Maggie to be stunned into silence but instead, the woman was grinning. She was on the verge of laughing. “It’s not funny, Maggie.” Daryl said and he wasn’t able to keep the desperation out of his voice.

“No, it’s not.” Maggie said, taking a deep breath and steadying herself. “But it’s about time. We’ve been waiting for you two to finally buck up and get together.”

“We aren’t together, I think I did – wait, what do you mean _we.”_

“Me and Glenn.” Maggie pushed a stray hair out of her eyes. “And Carol.”

 _Carol._ Daryl was going to kill that woman. “Fuck.”

“What do you mean you aren’t together? You said you kissed him, right?” Maggie seemed genuinely concerned.

“Well, we kissed but then things started getting a little heated and he pushed me away.” Daryl hung his head forward, wanting to hide his flaming red ears behind his hair.

“Oh, that sucks.” Maggie said. “It doesn’t mean he isn’t into you, though. I don’t owe Glenn a back rub just yet.”

Daryl jerked his head around so fast it hurt. “You made a bet!?”

Maggie actually laughed this time. “If it makes you feel any better, I was rooting for you.” The slender woman stood up and slid the backpack under her bunk. “You need to talk to Rick, the run can wait. I probably owe Glenn an apology for yelling at him anyway.” Maggie left the room but stuck her head back in a second later. “It will all work out, Daryl. Just don’t shut him out.” And then she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment to make me smile :))))

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah. daryl is alone again. im a horrible person for doing this to him.


End file.
